Cracks in the Foundation: NATO's New Troubles

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is beginning to fracture. Its members, sharing the triumphalism that underpinned U.S. foreign policy after the Cold War, took on burdens that have proved more difficult than expected. Increasingly, they are failing to meet the challenges confronting them. The principal problem is Afghanistan. After the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001, NATO for the first time invoked Article V, its pledge that an attack against one member country would be considered an attack against all. But NATO's forces are being relentlessly attacked by the Taliban, and among NATO countries popular support for maintaining troops there is fading. If NATO fails in Afghanistan, the consequences could be as damaging for its survival as the Vietnam War was for the now defunct Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. There are a number of other problems, which may not reach the importance of Afghanistan, but which nevertheless pose serious complications. These include the proposed deployment of antiballistic missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic; a potential flashpoint in Kosovo, where the Albanian majority's insistence on independence could divide alliance members; and the growing tension between Russia and some of its neighbors. NATO's inability to deter a cyber attack that virtually paralyzed NATO member Estonia's access to the internet -- an attack evidently launched from Russia but without any clear link to the Russian government -- raises questions about the alliance's ability to protect its newest members. In short, NATO is facing new challenges, and the future of the alliance is unclear. The United States should begin discussions with our allies about what a post-NATO world would look like

Conflict, cooperation or competition in the Caspian Sea region:A critical review of the New Great Game paradigm

This article critically reviews the New Great Game image of the Caspian Sea region and the assumptions, concepts, and mechanisms (revolving around actors, aims, and motivations) this image is based on. More specifically, this review essay answers the following questions: How does the academic literature interpret the impact of competition between great powers on social, political and economic developments in the Caspian Sea region? Which actors are presented as the dominant players? The essay also introduces the existing criticism of the New Great Game concept and alternatives to it that have already been put forward. By identifying the gaps and limits of existing scholarship, this article offers new avenues for alternative theoretical and empirical interpretations. More specifically, this article argues that the New Great Game literature promotes unsystematic and shallow discussion as it ignores and misunderstands historical, material, political, economic, and normative differences in the Caspian Sea region. Within this discussion, actors, interests, identities, social contexts, and principles are taken to be fixed, i.e. not prone to change or to any sort of adjustmen

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

Protective effect of trimetazidine on myocardial mitochondrial function in an ex-vivo model of global myocardial ischemia

Trimetazidine is an anti-ischemic drug whose cytoprotective mechanisms are not yet fully understood (but until now mainly related to the trimetazidine-induced "metabolic shift" from lipid [beta]-oxidation to glucose aerobic oxidation). We studied the effect of trimetazidine on the mitochondrial function of ischemic Wistar rat hearts perfused with glucose, using a model of ex-vivo perfusion (Langendorff system). We measured the electrical potential of the mitochondrial membrane, O2 consumption by the respiratory chain, energy charges generated and the enzyme activities of the respiratory chain complexes. In this model, trimetazidine had a preferential action on the oxidative system (mainly on complex I), increasing its enzyme activity and decreasing O2 consumption after phosphorylation; this could decrease oxygen free radical production and increase mitochondrial integrity, thus allowing the maintenance of the electrical potential. These results allow us to better understand the cytoprotective effects of trimetazidine in coronary artery disease.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T1J-4DGDFT4-1/1/030adaeaadc6b60cf212eca461b83e3

Does trimetazidine prevent myocardial injury after percutaneous coronary intervention?

Abstract Trimetazidine has been known for years as being an effective, ‘‘patient-friendly’’, anti-anginal agent. Recent studies using the modified release formulation (Vastarel MR) have confirmed the efficacy of trimetazidine in stable ischemic heart disease and suggested that it can be beneficial in a number of cardiac conditions. Trimetazidine has been reported to have a favourable impact on the prognosis of patients surviving an ST-elevation myocardial infarction and to exert a cardioprotective effect in patients undergoing an ischemia-reperfusion sequence, such as patients submitted to PCI or CABG procedures. However, the most exciting perspectives come from the heart failure area, where a beneficial effect has been reported on quality of life and prognosis. Heart Metab. 2010;46:43–47